Method for providing information to contacts without being given contact data

ABSTRACT

The subject invention provides an information source, such as an advertiser or product vendor, with a method for transferring information to contacts for which the information source has no contact data. The information source stores information in an information database which communicates the information to a referrer which has the desired contact data. The referrer uses a communication device to transfer the information to one or more contacts using contact data.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The field of this invention is privatized providing of information.

BACKGROUND

There are commercial software utilities, such as Plaxo, that allow youto access contact lists you have associated with various email programs.For instance, using Plaxo, you could instruct a computer program toaccess your contact lists for your Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook Express and AOLaccounts to allow you to send information to desired contacts in thoselists. Amazon.com allows you to forward product information to a friendby entering your friend's email address. CitySearch allows you to sendyourself a text message with a restaurant listing by entering yourmobile phone number. In these exemplary cases, Plaxo, Amazon.com andCitySearch gain access to the end-recipient contact phone number oremail address in order to send the contact the desired information.

Wishlist Buddy™ is a software program that helps people save money onthings they have in their Amazon.com Wishlist™. To use the WishlistBuddy, a person sets target prices for items they have on theirAmazon.com Wishlist, and then if any of those items falls beneath suchprices, Wishlist Buddy emails the person an alert to let them know.

When right-clicking on non-Flash™ web-based advertisements many browsersgive you the option to email to someone a link related to the ad.

It is desirable that you not have to disclose to a source of informationthe contact data, including but not limited to the telephone number andemail address, of a contact to whom you wish the information to becommunicated. It is also sometimes desirable to send information tocontacts where the contact data is stored on a mobile communicationdevice, such as a mobile phone, without your needing a special programon your phone. There is, therefore, a need to provide a method wherebyinformation from a source can be readily communicated to a contactwithout disclosing contact data concerning the contact to theinformation source.

For example, an organization such as a social network involves memberswho have contact data concerning friends who are not members. The socialnetwork has an interest in encouraging its members to enlist theirfriends into the social network. The subject system provides a novelmethod to allow members to invite others to join the social networkwithout disclosing to the social network contact data concerning suchfriends. In this way the member can protect their friends from beingcontacted by the social network without the request of the member orfriend.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the subject method an information source provides information, suchas advertisements (including web-page ads) about any of a wide range oftypes of products and services, discounts, offers, political statements,public announcements, and the like (the “Information”), to one or morecontacts by transmitting such Information via one or more referrers. Areferrer has access to their own contact database, which may comprise acontact list, with associated contact data. The referrer transmits suchInformation by a communication device to the referrer's contacts. TheInformation source is not required to have access to the contact data.Typically, the referrer gets the Information from an Informationdatabase (which may be part of a website) to which various Informationsources provide Information. The Information sources are typicallyunrelated to, and independent from, each other and the website ororganization that is associated with the Information database.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting Information flow from an Informationsource to an Information database, then to a referrer, then to one ormore contacts.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting Information flow from an Informationsource to a contact whose contact data is stored on the mobilecommunication device of a referrer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A method is provided for expanding a target audience with increasedlikelihood that the recipient will receive the Information and considerthe Information. The method goes beyond those recipients who are readilyavailable to an Information source, reaching a finer-grained resolutionof recipients. The method permits Information to be disseminated to anaudience which may not be available to the Information source. Using areferral network, the Information is transmitted to the recipient by atrusted source.

The method allows for communication to an end recipient, referred to asa contact, where the Information source is not required to haveaddresses for electronic communication of Information to the contact.Using a contact communication device the Information is transmitted to acontact from an Information database that receives input fromInformation sources. An Information source can be an organization thatmaintains or supervises the Information database, or supervises aservice provider selected by the organization that manages theInformation database and has members for which the organization hasmember data, including at least an email address or a mobilecommunication number. When the Information database is managed by aservice provider selected by the organization, the service provider istypically subject to the same constraints the organization has on use ofcontact data. The members are named “referrers,” since the members playa role in transferring the Information to the contact. The referrer hascontact data for one or more contacts, which contacts are known to thereferrer. The contact data can be stored in a contact database, whichmay reside on a personal computer, laptop, mobile phone, or otherequivalent device. An Information source may provide Information to morethan one referrer. Referrers don't necessarily know or communicate witheach other; whereas, a referrer typically either (a) knows, (b) hascommunicated with or (c) has had a prior relationship with theircontacts. A referrer's contacts list often contains only a few hundredcontacts or fewer.

The method also allows for customized transmission of Information to thecontact where the referrer can ensure that the transmitted Informationis relevant to the contact and may provide a personal message associatedwith the Information. The organization will usually also have a relatedwebsite which it typically maintains. Such a website comprises theInformation database and can also comprise a contact database comprisingdemographics, interests of the contact, and the like (which areorganized into categories), normally supplied by the referrer, but maybe supplied or edited by the contact, where the referrer has a personalaccount with restricted access on the website. Therefore, the websitemay include contact data that comprises not only the addresses andnumbers of the members and contacts, but also personalized dataconcerning each of the contacts. The website may have Information sourceaccounts, referrer accounts and contact accounts, where each suchaccount may be private and password protected.

The method employs a first software functionality for processing theInformation from the Information source and transmitting the Informationto one or more referrers. The Information may be transmitted in the formin which it is received or may be modified to where it provides only themeaning or significance of at least a portion of the receivedInformation. The modified Information will generally provide the basicinformation intended to be transmitted by the Information source as maybe selected or restricted by the referrer or categories. The Informationmay be filtered based on the contact data, so that the Information whichis sent to a referrer for further transmission to a contact is selectedin accordance with the contact data. The first software functionalitymay run on a website that provides for a private account for a referrer,where the referrer may provide the contact data, which may be retainedin confidence. The referrer can then transmit the received Informationto the contact by means of a contact communication device.

The subject method is distinguished from other methods by having atleast one each from the following two groups of components. Included inthe first group is assigning a referral identification to a referrer,also called a referrer identification code. The referral identificationis transmitted to the contact. The identification allows for tracking ofthe actions of the referrer and the referrer's contacts. In this way,consideration can be provided as an incentive for the referrer toactively participate in the program and work with the organization toensure the success of the subject method. A referrer or contact canprovide contact data organized into categories for associating thenature of the Information to the nature of the contact. To provide thiscapability, a second software functionality is provided that relates thecategory(s) for the Information to the contact data for the contact.Included with having categories is the opportunity for the referrer orcontact to specify categories to determine which portion of theInformation is to be received by the contact. The nature of thecategories will be expanded on subsequently. Another component of thefirst group is that the Information is received from unrelatedindependent sources or for-profit sources. In this way, advertisers,businesses or other for-profit organizations can use their advertisingdollars more efficiently in that they can reach a larger audience forwhich they do not have contact data and provide the Information to thisaudience in a manner that will not be treated as spam and is morepersonal to the recipient as being from someone the recipient knows.While the majority of the Information will be from such sources, thatis, greater than 50 percent of the informational items transmitted, someof the Information may come from related or non-profit organizations.

A referrer may elect to (1) review Information and decide to whichcontact to send the Information, (2) have a contact be automaticallyidentified based on matching categories of the Information with desiredcategories of the referrer's contacts, but where the referrer then makesthe final decision about whether or not to send the Information to theidentified contact, or (3) have a contact be automatically identifiedbased on matching categories of the Information with desired categoriesof the referrer's contact, and then to have Information automaticallysent to a contact without review by the referrer.

The opinion of the referrer typically is respected by the referrer'scontacts. Thus, the subject patent provides a way for a respectedreferrer to promote Information by peer influence.

These aspects when used together provide for an efficient system for acommercial entity to direct advertising or other communication to atarget audience via an intermediary recognized by the target audience,who can also serve as a proponent of the advertising or communication.Consideration can be provided as an incentive to ensure the favorabletransmission of the Information.

In the second group of components, a third software functionality isprovided to allow the referrer to request and receive Information inwriting. The content of the Information is composed in a form forreceipt by the contact, rather than the referrer. The referrer providesthe Information to the contact, where the referrer will be recognized bythe contact. This can be expedited with a website, where the Informationis stored and the referrer requests the Information from the website.The referrer can have a private account on the website that isrestricted to use by the referrer. As already alluded to, a furthercomponent is that the method allows for rewarding the referrer and/orcontact for participating in the method and acting on the Information.By combining the referral identification with consideration, such aspromotional rewards, the referrer will be encouraged to activelyparticipate.

The organization can be a web-based social network to provide for theassociation between the referrers and the organization, so that thereferrer and contacts have an existing relationship with theorganization. Often times, such social networks allow its members tomutually agree to be “friends” in the social network. Within theorganization, the contacts could have access to contact data of othermembers. Another component, which may be implemented by an additionalsoftware functionality, is for the referrer to withhold contact datafrom the Information source and the use of the contact data by theorganization is restricted. Also, the organization can have aprearranged formal referring relationship with the referrer. Byproviding for a formal relationship, the referrer participates activelywith the understanding of the rules of the method and the enjoyment ofrewards, as available. Typically, a formal referring relationship laysout the terms whereby the referrer receives consideration. Such arelationship also typically describes the organization's restrictions onuse, dissemination and privacy of the contact data.

Various combinations of the different groups are of interest, such as(1) the referral identification coupled with the referrer requestinginformation and/or the web-based social network and (2) the data havingcategories coupled with the referrer requesting information and/or theweb-based social network.

Any of the components described above may be associated with having thecontact data withheld from the Information source, having use of thecontact data by the organization restricted and the organization havinga prearranged formal referring relationship with the referrer.

An attractive aspect of the method allows the referrer and the contactto participate in choosing categories to be received by the contact andto modify the menu of categories from time to time. Software can beprovided that allows automatic selection of contacts to receive theInformation based on common categories between the Information and thecontact. Typically, the contact will have an ability to “lock” acategory after specifying its desired state such that the referrercannot edit the contact's selection.

In one aspect of the subject invention, the method provides forproviding Information from at least one Information source to a contacthaving a contact communication device. The method employs an Informationdatabase, supervised by an organization, for receiving Information fromthe Information source. A referrer, an individual, associated with theorganization, has contact data for contacts in a contact database, whichcontact database may be on a communication device and/or on a website. Asoftware functionality is employed for processing the Information. Themethod comprises communicating the Information from the Informationsource to the referrer, the referrer transmitting the Information to thecontact by means of the contact communication device, assigning areferral identification to the referrer for tracking with the referralidentification being transmitted to the contact, with the organizationgiving consideration to the referrer or the contact for acting on theInformation, and optionally the contact communication devicetransmitting the referral identification to the Information source or athird party to identify the referrer.

In another aspect, the method is employed in obtaining members for anorganization. In a particular embodiment, the prospective members havemobile phones. A website comprising an Information database containingan invitation is employed. A member of the organization, called areferrer, has contact data for a prospective member in a contactdatabase on the referrer's mobile phone. The prospective member'scontact data is withheld from the organization. The method comprises thereferrer requesting the invitation from the website, where theinvitation addresses a prospective member not the referrer,communicating the invitation from the website via a text message to thereferrer's mobile phone, and the referrer forwarding the text message tothe prospective member by means of the respective mobile phones.

To further expand on the subject invention, without direct access tocontact data for a contact (or plurality of contacts), an Informationsource (or plurality of Information sources) can provide Information tothe contact (or plurality of contacts) using a referrer (or plurality ofreferrers), whereby each referrer has access to a contact database,usually a contact list (or plurality of contact lists) and selects acontact (or plurality of contacts) to receive the Information. For thepurposes of this invention, a contact list will be used as equivalent toa contact database and is sometimes referred to as an address book bysome people. Typically, the Information provided by the Informationsource may relate to any of a large variety of different types ofproducts and services, not merely a single type of product or servicewith categorical differences.

The Information source provides Information to a data processor, whichmay be associated with a web server, to collect and store Information inan Information database and to transmit selected Information to thereferrer. The Information source may be the originator of theInformation, such as an advertiser. The Information database may act asan Information aggregator, Information portal or Information repositoryof Information coming from Information sources or other Informationdatabases. Information of the Information database may be “scraped” froma website. The Information database may be associated with anorganization or a website. In one example, the Information database isassociated an Information website from which the referrer retrieves theInformation, where Information sources and referrers have accounts withthe Information website.

The referrer uses a communication device, which typically includes oraccesses a contact database of contact data, to communicate with thecontact. Typically, the referrer is an individual and the contacts arehis/her friends or acquaintances, or where the referrer has previouslycommunicated to or received communication from the contact, typicallypersonally, telephonically, via email, text message or other electronicmeans. Usually, the communication device will be a mobile communicationdevice or desktop communication device or the like. The contact willreceive the Information via their own communication device.Communication of the Information from the Information source to thereferrer, and then transmission from the referrer to the contact, istypically over a wireless or wired medium, including but not limited tothe internet, mobile phone network, cable, DSL, WiFi, Bluetooth, RF andthe like. The referrer has a list of contacts with associated contactdata. The referrer selects one or more contacts from the referrer's listof contacts and transmits the Information received from the Informationsource to the contact(s).

A mobile communication device includes, but is not limited to, a mobilephone, a mobile computer, a pager or any other wireless device capableof receiving and sending a signal and interacting with the user,including but not limited to a product consumer or social networkorganization member.

The subject invention has particular application where the contact listis a private list which the referrer wishes to retain as a private listand not divulge any data associated with the list, particularly to anorganization that might use the list for advertising purposes. Asindicated previously, the subject invention can be used effectively witha social network organization. Consider where the social networkorganization wishes to expand its membership through its existingmembers who can serve as referrers. The social network organization hasa data processor associated with its website that provides Informationto the referrer for transmission by the referrer to a contact. Thereferring member can request the Information from the data processor.The Information may include a description of the social networkorganization, an invitation to join, a website address and/or emailaddress for the contact to be able to join the social networkorganization. The Information may be in a form such that it was writtento a contact as a prospective new member, rather than being written to areferrer. Thus, all the referrer needs to do is forward the Informationto the contact, unmodified, making it quick and easy for the referrer,and at the same time, ensuring that the Information is presented in themanner the Information source, being a social network organization,desires. Until the contact contacts the social network organization withits contact data, the organization has no access to the contact data ofthe contact. The referrer need not be concerned about disclosure of thecontact data and since the Information is coming from the referrer as atrusted source, Information from the referrer is likely to be opened,read or otherwise acted upon by the contact. In addition, theInformation will have the endorsement of the referrer. Of course, thesocial network will have many more interests for transmission ofInformation by a referrer than expanding membership, such asadvertisements, offers, promotions, event notices, etc.

As an example of an invite function on a mobile phone, a referrer who isa member of a social network organization may be presented with a linkon their mobile phone entitled, “Invite Friends”. Upon selecting thelink, the referrer is presented with a prompt saying, “Receive a textmessage on your phone that you can forward to any of your contacts.” Ifthe referrer selects “OK” to this prompt, the referrer receives a textmessage stating, “Join me on this cool new ‘nightlife networking’ siteand we can meet up at bars & clubs, find new friends and get drinkdiscounts: http://m.hoozware.com.” The referrer can then simply choosecontacts in their contact list on their mobile phone to which thereferrer can easily forward the text message. This scenario eliminatesthe need for the referrer to author and re-type a message on theirmobile phone in order to invite his/her friends to join the socialnetwork organization. This scenario of forwarding a text message notonly makes sure the intended Information is accurately conveyed tocontacts, but it facilitates and expedites the process for the referrer.This scenario also does not require that the referrer load any specialsoftware onto their mobile phone in order to access their contact list,but rather the phone's built-in forwarding feature andcontact-list-access mechanism is utilized.

In a first embodiment of the subject invention, only the referrer is amember of a social network organization. In a second embodiment, theInformation source and referrer are both associated with the same socialnetwork organization and contacts are not associated with the socialnetwork organization. In a third embodiment, the Information source, thereferrer and the contact are all associated with the same social networkorganization. In a fourth embodiment, the Information source, thereferrer and a first and second contact are all associated with the samesocial network organization, and the first and second contact are ableto communicate with each other using the social networking organization.In one version of the fourth embodiment above, the first and secondcontact may be able to communicate with each other using the samecommunication devices they receive Information from the referrer. In anyof the above embodiments, the Information communicated by theInformation source pertains to the social network organization.

While the subject invention has been illustrated above with a socialnetworking organization, it can find application in any situation wherea first entity (e.g., a person or organization) may have a relationshipwith a second entity (e.g., a person), and where the first entity isable to communicate Information to, and may communicate with, the secondentity via a data processor associated with an Information database. Thefirst entity may serve as an Information source originating Information.Such a second entity has a contact list and a communication device andmay serve as a referrer to receive Information from the Informationsource, optionally augment it with additional data, and transmit suchaugmented Information to contacts on the referrer's contact list, whereeach contact is a third entity (e.g., a person or organization). Thereferrer may request Information from the Information database that thereferrer wishes to transmit to the contacts. In this way, the firstentity can have Information transmitted to a broader audience ofcontacts than it could reach using only its own contacts by having itsInformation transmitted to the contact lists of multiple referrers.Therefore, the subject method circumvents problems associated with massdistribution of Information to audiences through electronic means bysources unknown to them, e.g., spam, since such Information is mainlyignored and can irritate the recipient contact. Employing the subjectinvention, Information is filtered through referrers who represent“trusted sources” to contacts on their contact lists and who endorse theInformation. Because the Information comes from a known source, theInformation is more likely to find acceptance with the contact.

In general, the subject method finds application with companies thatwish to advertise products, activities, etc. In one embodiment forenhancing the efficiency of the referrer in transferring Information tocontacts, the referrer is provided categories for associating withrelevant contacts. The categories may include demographics, behavior,interests, social graphs, previous purchases, gift requests (such asproduct or service requests), etc. Each contact in the referrer'scontact list may be associated with one or more categories. Desirably,the contact may inform the referrer of the categories the contact feelsare relevant or revise the categories selected by the referrer. Thereferrer determines the Information the referrer wishes to pass along tothe referrer's contacts. The referrer may determine the Information in avariety of ways, including but not limited to:

-   -   (a) The Information database may be associated with a website        where the referrer may go (1) to select items of Information to        be downloaded to the referrer's communication device for        transmitting to the referrer's contacts, optionally after        augmenting with additional data; or (2) to determine which items        of Information are to be transmitted to the referrer's contacts        directly from the website, optionally after augmenting with        additional data.    -   (b) The referrer may issue a command to the Information database        requesting to receive Information for transmitting to the        referrer's contacts, optionally after augmenting with additional        data.    -   (c) The Information database may initiate sending the referrer        an Information package in abbreviated form from which the        referrer may select the portion of the Information package which        the referrer believes may be of interest to the referrer's        contacts. The referrer may then request from the full        Information as to the referrer's selection.

Demographics include, but are not limited to gender, birthdate, height,eye/hair color, body type, address, zipcode, hometown, ethnicity, spokenlanguage, education, occupation, income, political view, marital status,sexual orientation, religion, living situation, number of kids, desirefor kids, pets, astrological sign, and the like. Behavior includes, butis not limited to exercise habits, sports participation, body art,smoking/drinking frequency, diet, favorite music, favorite places to go,favorite drink, favorite show, favorite book, and the like. Interestsinclude, but are not limited to business networking,cards/games/puzzles, casino gaming, coffee & conversation, communityservice/volunteering, computers/internet, cooking, crafts/hobbies,dining, fine arts/museums, friends/family, gardening, meeting newpeople, movies/videos, listening to music/concerts, playingmusic/singing, nightclub dancing, performing arts, photography,politics, reading, religion/spirituality, shopping, television,travel/sightseeing, video games, watching sports, wine tasting, and thelike.

Furthermore in this embodiment, advertisers can submit Information tothe Information database for dissemination. The Information from theadvertiser may include general content about the advertiser, promotionalmaterials, including but not limited to available products, discounts,location availability, political or non-profit content, or other contenttypically associated with coupons. The Information communicated by theInformation database indicates the categories associated with theInformation. The referrer then compares the indicated categories of theInformation with the referrer's contact list, optionally matching theindicated categories of the Information with the categories associatedwith the contacts, to determine to which contacts the referrer shouldtransmit the Information. An optional computer program can be providedto the referrer to be installed on or accessed by the referrer'scommunication device to facilitate the matching of and transmission tothe appropriate contacts of the Information. Such computer program maybe accessed from a website containing, controlling or otherwiseassociated with the Information database.

Consideration may be given to encourage referrers to refer Informationand contacts to receive and/or act upon Information. Consideration mayinclude rewards, such as monetary rewards, gift rewards, product ordiscount rewards, opportunities to participate in particular functions,tickets to events, social recognition, etc. Different avenues may beemployed in presenting the consideration depending upon (1) the natureof the consideration, (2) whether the consideration is directed to thereferrer, contact or both, (3) the manner in which the consideration ispresented, and (4) the like.

Consideration can be presented as a game of chance, such as a simulatedroulette wheel, a shell game, choosing a card, number or word from aset, where the referrer or contact has the opportunity to win a reward.The consideration may be associated with a coupon, either electronic orpaper, where redemption of the coupon by the contact results in a rewardfor the referrer, the contact, or both.

Consideration may be given to the contact for a contact action,including, but not limited to acting upon the Information, such asviewing it, clicking on it, purchasing an advertised product, attendingan advertised event, and the like. Consideration may be given to thereferrer for a referrer action, including, but not limited to,transmitting the Information to the contact. Consideration may be givento a referrer after a predetermined number of contacts have been sentInformation by the referrer or when one or more of the referrer'scontacts acts upon the Information. Consideration may also be given to acontact after the contact has received or viewed a predetermined amountof Information. Consideration typically is not given to a referrer basedsolely on a purchase by a contact to whom the referrer sent theInformation and where the Information relates to or encourages thepurchase.

In order to track or otherwise know which referrer has transmittedInformation to a contact, a referrer identification code, also called areferral identification or just referral ID can be employed. Thereferrer may register with the Information source to receive their ownunique referrer identification code. The referrer identification codemay be alphanumeric, symbols, etc. Tracking of each referrer allows forconsideration to be directed to a particular referrer based on theactions of that referrer and the contact to whom they provideInformation. Typically, Information from an advertiser will also includea code for the tracking convenience of the advertiser.

Computer software, which may comprise multiple software componentsproviding functionality, may be used to organize and combine many of thefeatures of the subject invention and to facilitate their use. A specialfile format for this purpose, called a Referral File Format™ (RFF™), aswell as computer software, called RFFware™, is described below.

The RFF is a container file format that many different entities maywrite to or read, including, but not limited to: Information sources maywrite to, Information may be written to, referrers may write to andread, and contacts may read. In accordance with the referral fileformat, an RFF file may comprise, but is not limited to:

-   -   (a) Information and associated categories;    -   (b) one or more data formats, including but not limited to 3GP,        RSS, SMS, HTML, HTML-MP, PDF, JPEG, TIFF, Flash, MPEG, MOV, AVI,        WMV, WMA, MP3, M4P, WAV and the like;    -   (c) details about the Information source or the referrer, such        as the referral ID;    -   (d) a feedback mechanism, such as JavaScript, that reports to        the Information source when the Information is read by a contact        as well as other actions performed by the referrer and contact;    -   (e) click-through links, advertisements, and the like;    -   (f) a simple text message where the Information is condensed to        a small or summary text message with a link or links to more of        the Information or additional related or unrelated Information;    -   (g) an encapsulation of Information from a webpage, with or        without the original advertisement, or with replacement or        additional advertisements;    -   (h) a hyperlink to the appropriate location on a website where        the contact who received the RFF file can modify their        categories for specifying future desired Information; and    -   (i) a pointer or link to the Information where the Information        may be static or dynamic Information.

An RFF file might not comprise Information, but may merely be associatedwith Information. For example, an RFF file might be a file containingone or more web links to Information or additional links that eventuallylead to Information.

A website may include links to data provided by third-party sources,where the third-party sources are independent from the website, andwhere the data may be static or dynamic data. For instance, one may getan RFF file from a website that aggregates product reviews or productpricing provided by other websites, where such other websites arereferred to as third-party sources. The product reviews and productpricings listed on such third-party sources are third-party data. TheRFF file from the aggregating website may contain links to suchthird-party sources or links to such third-party data. The RFF file mayalso directly contain the actual third-party data from the third-partysources. Third-party data may also comprise advertisements fromthird-party sources.

An RFF file can allow an advertiser to block the RFF file related totheir advertisement from being viewed or emailed to someone else. Forexample, the advertiser might want an offer to only go to someone whovisits a particular website. The advertiser might want an ad to only goto a contact with certain categories. In the case where an advertiser ischarged per recipient of an ad they send out, the advertiser might notwant their ad to be sent to anyone without specified categories.

The subject invention may be used by a referrer to quickly and easilyinform their friends or associates of various products and serviceswithout disclosing the contact data (including but not limited to emailaddress, phone number, name, street address, etc.) for such friends andassociates. One example is where a generic product or service webpagehas a “Privately Inform Contacts” link, which when selected matches theproduct or service with the referrer's contacts, e.g., friends orassociates, optionally using categories and allows the referrer totransmit the Information, a link to the Information, or contentassociated with the Information, to one or more of the matched contacts.In this way, vendor advertisements are leveraged by allowing referrersto easily forward Information to their own friends and contacts; thus,reaching the “last mile.”

In one embodiment of the subject invention, when a referrer hovers theirmouse over an advertisement on a webpage, or right-clicks on the ad,there is a pop-up or drop-down box that prompts to “Match to Friends.”If selected, the referrer's friends and/or other contacts are promptedfor further selection. The consideration may be shown that the referrerwould receive for sending Information relating to the advertisement to aparticular prompted contact.

In general, RFFware is utility software that, among other things, makesit easier for a referrer to search for, locate and access variousInformation from an Information database for transmitting to contacts(where such Information may be contained in, referenced by, or otherwiseassociated with an RFF file), as well as augment or otherwise customizethe RFF file, determine to which contacts to send the RFF file, send theRFF file to such contacts, follow up with such contacts and reviewstatistics about which of such contacts acted upon the RFF file and how.RFFware comprises software that may be resident on a local dataprocessor, accessed remotely over a network and/or run on a hostedcomputer server. In one example, a referrer may use a web browser tologin to their account on a remote computer server where they access thefunctionality of the RFFware software. For instance, an Informationdatabase may be associated with a website to which advertisers may loginto their accounts to post Information they wish to disseminate (wheresuch Information may be categorized), and to which referrers may loginto their accounts to access posted Information they wish to send totheir contacts.

Whether run remotely, or on the referrer's local computer, RFFware mayhelp perform one or more of the following functions, yet at no timeallowing the Information source to have access to the referrer'scontacts or contact data without the referrer's permission:

-   -   (a) allow the referrer to determine the consideration being        offered to a referrer or contact for a referrer action or        contact action regarding the Information;    -   (b) augment the RFF file to include the referrer's referral ID;    -   (c) allow the referrer to augment the RFF file to include a        customized message regarding the Information;    -   (d) generate a master list of contacts with their associated        contact data when provided input from the referrer regarding        referrer's various webmail login usernames and passwords and        email programs identifying the accounts from which to generate        the master list;    -   (e) allow the referrer to specify when to re-generate the master        list of contacts;    -   (f) allow the referrer and contacts to specify categories        associated with the contacts, optionally where the referrer may        choose send a form to a contact asking the contact to specify        their desired categories, and optionally where RFFware then        assimilates the specified categories with the contact's        associated contact data;    -   (g) match the categories associated with the Information with        the categories associated with the contacts to produce a        suggested recipient list;    -   (h) allow the referrer to add contacts to or delete contacts        from the suggested recipient list to provide a finalized        recipient list;    -   (i) allow the referrer to preview the RFF file to see exactly        how each contact will see it;    -   (j) send the RFF file to the contacts of the finalized recipient        list, including but not limited to sending the RFF file to an        email address, sending as an instant message, sending the RFF        file as a text message to a telephone number, sending the RFF        file as a voice message to a telephone or computer, and/or        sending the RFF file to a fax machine;    -   (k) if desired, restrict re-forwarding of an RFF file by a        referrer's contact to the contact's own contacts;    -   (l) certify that the RFF file is virus free;    -   (m) alert the referrer, optionally via text message, when there        is new Information on the Information database relates to one or        more of the referrer's contacts;    -   (n) allow the contact to view the Information received by them        from multiple referrers, where the contact may go to a website        to view the Information;    -   (o) sort Information for the contact based on the contact's        relationship with the referrer or based on the quality or        relevance of the Information the referrer previously provided to        the contact;    -   (p) confirm to an Information source how many contacts a        particular referrer sent their Information to;    -   (q) provide an editable “from” email address for a referrer so a        contact sees the Information coming from a trusted email        address;    -   (r) allow the referrer to add a referrer attachment in order to        personalize the Information before sending to a contact,        optionally by providing message examples via a drop-down box,        such as “I just bought this and though you might like it, too”;    -   (s) when a referrer sees an advertisement online having an RFF        link, when the referrer selects the link, the referrer is        prompted with contacts to forward the Information to where the        contacts match the Information's categories; and    -   (t) extract a desired portion of the RFF file to send based on        any of the referrer, the contact, specific categories and the        communication devices being used.

A contact can require that it only receive Information falling intocertain desired categories. If the contact receives Information otherthan falling into their desired categories, then the Information isconsidered spam and the contact may opt out of receiving furtherInformation. RFFware can prevent a referrer from sending to a contactInformation that does not have the contact's desired categories.

Referrer attachments include any text, picture, video or auditoryattachments that the referrer might wish to include with the Informationwhen sending to a contact. The referrer attachment may be added to theRFF file along with the Information. A referrer attachment may explainthe Information, it may relate to who the referrer is or why thereferrer is sending the Information to the contact, it may augment theInformation, and the like.

If an Information source specifies that Information is relevant tocategories that are not relevant to the Information, the referrer canelect to stop using that Information source. RFFware may provide theability for a contact to block Information sent from a particularreferrer, and may provide the ability for a referrer to blockInformation sent from a particular Information source.

Typically, there is separate viewing/reading software, which may be aportion of the RFFware software described above that provides RFF fileviewing/playing capability for a contact. The RFF file may includeinstructions for installing the viewing software on the contact'scommunication device. Accordingly, when a contact receives the RFF fileand clicks on it, the relevant content is conveniently displayed.

A website may include an RFF link on its web pages such that when areferrer identifies an RFF file it wishes to transmit to contacts, thereferrer clicks the RFF link and any of the following may occur: (a)RFFware software runs on the referrer's local computer; (b) a browser isopened allowing the referrer to access a remote version of the RFFwaresoftware; (c) a webmail program is launched or (d) the referrer'sdefault email program is activated. In case (c) or (d), typically theresulting mail program (1) is pre-filled with an RFF file attachmentwhere the RFF file may encapsulate (i) the content of the web page, (ii)an ad on the webpage or (iii) another portion of the webpage; (2) ispre-addressed with the contact data for the suggested contact list basedon categories and (3) the referrer's master list of contacts isdisplayed with controls to add/delete contacts from the suggestedcontact list.

RFF files may be downloaded by a referrer and stored on the referrer'slocal computer, or the RFF files may be uploaded to a remote account ofthe referrer that is associated with a remote version of the RFFwaresoftware.

An RFF link on a webpage may be context dependent or depend on where itis located on the webpage. For instance, a webpage for an onlineshopping aggregator may comprise a list of products by differentvendors, in addition to a banner ad along the top. The banner ad mayhave an associated RFF link; each product and/or vendor listed may havetheir own associated RFF link; and the entire page may have an RFF link.

When the referrer and contact are members of the same social networkorganization, typically the referrer may select (e.g., by clicking) anRFF link on a webpage of the social network organization which allowsthe referrer to automatically, or otherwise easily match Informationwith the contact based on categories and then transmit the Informationor an associated RFF file to the contact.

Besides selecting an RFF link on a webpage to activate the RFFwaresoftware, another way a referrer may access Information and transmit itto contacts is by logging into an account running the RFFware software.Upon logging in, the referrer may see a matrix where each row isassociated with different portions of Information and lists relateddata. Such rows of related data may include columns comprising any ofthe following: (1) select boxes for selecting that row corresponding toa particular portion of the Information; (2) summaries of the portion ofInformation, where such summaries may be links to an expandeddescription; (3) descriptors of the portion of Information, such as adtype, vendor, and the like; (4) the total number of contacts havingcategories matching the categories of the portion of Information; (5)the contacts who actually possess the categories matching the portion ofInformation; (6) some or all of the contact data associated with suchcontacts; (7) the consideration a referrer would make for sending theportion of Information to the listed contacts; (8) a check box foradding the referrer's referral ID and (9) a box for adding apersonalized message. Associated with the matrix may be “send” and“cancel” buttons to cause the selected portions of Information to betransmitted to the matching contacts.

Using the subject invention to offer a referral network while protectingcontact data is a useful technique to monetize social networks and Web3.0 applications.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing first data 107 being communicatedbidirectionally between an Information source 100 and an Informationdatabase 101, where the first data 107 may include Informationcommunicated from the Information source 100 to the Information database101. In this figure, the Information source 100 may be replaced by amultiplicity of independent Information sources, but to keep the figureclear, only one Information source 100 is shown here. In this figure,the Information database 101 may be replaced by a multiplicity ofindependent Information databases, but to keep the figure clear, onlyone Information database 101 is shown here. Second data 108 iscommunicated bidirectionally between the Information database 101 and areferrer 102, where the second data 108 communicated from theInformation database 101 to the referrer 102 may include all or aportion of, a summary of, or a reference to, Information communicatedfrom the Information source 100 to the Information database 101. Ingeneral, there may be multiple referrers such as referrer 102. Thirddata 109 is communicated bidirectionally between the referrer 102 and afirst contact 103; fourth data 110 is communicated bidirectionallybetween the referrer 102 and a second contact 104; and fifth data 111 iscommunicated bidirectionally between the referrer 102 and an nth contact105. The third data 109, fourth data 110 and fifth data 111 communicatedfrom the referrer 102 may include all or a portion of, a summary of, ora reference to, Information communicated from the Information database101 to the referrer 102. The referrer 102 may access the referrer'scontact database 106. In this figure, the contact database 106 may bereplaced by a multiplicity of independent contact databases, but to keepthe figure clear, only one contact database 106 is shown here.

Contact 103 may communicate sixth data 112 to the Information database101 or may communicate seventh data 115 to the Information source 100;contact 104 may communicate eighth data 113 to the Information database101 or may communicate ninth data 116 to the Information source 100;contact 105 may communicate tenth data 114 to the Information database101 or may communicate eleventh data 117 to the Information source 100.The Information database 101 may only initiate communication withcontact 103, 104 or 105 when directed by the referrer 102, and theInformation source 100 may not initiate communication with contact 103,104 or 105. Twelfth data 118 may be communicated between contact 103 andcontact 104; thirteenth data 119 may be communicated between contact 104and contact 105; and fourteenth data 120 may be communicated betweencontact 103 and contact 105.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing Information 209 from an Informationsource 208 being provided to the contact communication device 205 of acontact, where contact data is not known by the Information source 208but is known by a referrer. In this figure, the Information source 208may be replaced by a multiplicity of independent Information sources,but to keep the figure clear, only one Information source 208 is shownhere. The Information source provides Information 209 to an Informationdatabase 201. In this figure, the Information database 201 may bereplaced by a multiplicity of independent Information databases, but tokeep the figure clear, only one Information database 201 is shown here.The Information database 201 may communicate 210 back to the Informationsource 208. The Information database then provides all or a portion of,a summary of, or a reference to, the Information 209 as Information 1200 to a referrer communication device 202 of the referrer. In general,there may be multiple referrers each using their own referrercommunication devices such as referrer communication device 202. Usingthe referrer communication device 202, the referrer may request 203 theInformation 1 200 or otherwise communicate with the Information database201. The referrer may also use the referrer communication device 202 toreply 203 to the Information database 201 after receiving theInformation 1 200.

Typically, the referrer communication device 202 accesses contact datafrom one or more contact lists or contact databases of contact data. InFIG. 2, the referrer communication device 202 is a mobile phone whichhas a contact database on it. The referrer selects contact data for acontact from the contact database and transmits all or a portion of, asummary of, or a reference to, Information 1 200 as Information 2 204 tothe contact communication device 205 of the contact. In general, areferrer may send Information to multiple contact communication devicessuch as the contact communication device 205. Using its contactcommunication device 205, the contact may respond 206 to the referrercommunication device 202. It is also possible for a contact to initiatea message to a referrer, for instance, to request Information from oneor more Information sources, such as Information 209 from Informationsource 208, or to provide or update its requested categories. Using itscontact communication device 205, a contact may also communicate 207 tothe Information database 201. Such a communication 207 may be to provideor update the contact's requested categories. Using its contactcommunication device 205, a contact may also respond 211 to theInformation source 208. Such a response 211 may be requested as part ofthe Information 209 from Information source 208.

All publications and patent applications cited in this specification areherein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication orpatent application were specifically and individually indicated to beincorporated by reference.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity ofunderstanding, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art in light of the teachings of this invention that certain changesand modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spiritor scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a server configured tocommunicate via a communications network, the method comprising:receiving, via a network communication interface of the server, anelectronic request transmitted via the communications network from afirst mobile phone as a referrer for an invitation to join anorganization, wherein the referrer is a member of the organization,wherein the invitation is stored in a database associated with awebsite, and wherein the website is supervised by the organization;electronically processing, via one or more electronic processing unitsof the server, the electronic request; transmitting, by the networkcommunication interface via the communications network, the invitationto the first mobile phone in response to the electronically processingthe electronic request, wherein the first mobile phone stores, in acontacts database, contact data for a contact, wherein the contact datais accessible by the second mobile phone, and wherein the contact datais not accessible by the website; receiving, via the networkcommunication interface, from the website one or more first categoriesassociated with the invitation; receiving from the first mobile phone,via the network communication interface, one or more second categoriesassociated with the contact, wherein the one or more second categoriesare stored in the contact data; electronically evaluating, via the oneor more electronic processing units of the server, the one or more firstcategories against the one or more second categories; encoding, via theone or more electronic processing units, a referral container file withinstructions configured to cause the first mobile phone to select thecontact as a potential recipient for the invitation based on theelectronically evaluating the one or more first categories against theone or more second categories, and forward the invitation to a secondmobile phone using contact information stored on the first mobile phone,and cause the second mobile phone to respond to the invitation withoutproviding the contact data to the server; and transmitting, via thenetwork communication interface to the first mobile phone, the referralcontainer file to the first mobile phone.
 2. A non-transitory computerreadable storage media configured to store instructions, which whenexecuted by an electronic processing unit of a referrer device, causethe referrer device to perform operations comprising: detecting, inresponse to user input entered into the referrer device, an electronicrequest to provide information from an information source, connected toa communications network, to a contact communication device of acontact; receiving from the information source, via a networkcommunication interface of the referrer device, one or more firstcategories associated with the information; automatically determining atleast a portion of the information to transmit to the contactcommunication device based on electronically evaluating contact dataspecifying one or more second categories associated with the contactagainst the one or more first categories, wherein the contact data isaccessible by the referrer device, and wherein the contact data is notaccessible by the information source; encoding, via the electronicprocessing unit, a referral container file with programming instructionsconfigured to cause the contact communication device to, upon accessingthe programming instructions, electronically request the at least theportion of the information from the information source without providingthe contact data to the information source; embedding the referralcontainer file in an electronic message; and transmitting, by thereferrer device via the communications network, the electronic messageto the contact communication device.
 3. A method of operating a referrerdevice associated with a referrer, said method comprising: receiving, bya network communications interface of the referrer device, a firstelectronic message that indicates information from an informationsource; determining, by at least one of one or more electronicprocessing units of the referrer device, one or more first categoriesassociated with the information; automatically determining, by at leastone of the one or more electronic processing units, at least a portionof the information to transmit to a contact communication device of acontact based on electronically evaluating contact data specifying oneor more second categories associated with the contact against the one ormore first categories, wherein the contact data is accessible by thereferrer device, and wherein the contact data is not accessible by theinformation source; encoding, via the electronic processing unit, areferral container file with programming instructions configured tocause the contact communication device to, upon accessing theprogramming instructions, electronically request the at least theportion of the information from the information source without providingthe contact data to the information source; embedding the referralcontainer file in a second electronic message; and transmitting, via thenetwork communication interface, the second electronic message to thecontact communication device.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein theprogramming instructions are configured to cause the contactcommunication device to: provide one or more controls for the contact toopt out from at least one of the one or more first categories from beingtransmitted to the contact communication device; and restricting, by thereferrer device, additional electronic messages from being transmittedto the contact communication device.
 5. The method of claim 3 furthercomprising, prior to transmitting the at least a portion of theinformation to the contact communication device, requesting the at leastthe portion of the information from the information database.
 6. Themethod of claim 3 further comprising encoding into the referralcontainer file a referral identification that identifies the referrer tothe contact communication device, and wherein the programminginstructions cause the contact communication device to transmit to theinformation source the referral identification, wherein the informationsource provides a reward to the referral device in response to thecontact communication device accessing the information.
 7. The method ofclaim 3 further comprising: embedding a selectable link into thereferral container file, wherein the referral container file includes areferral file format (RFF); and transmitting, by the referrer device,the information to the contact communication device in response to aselection of the selectable link.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theprogramming instructions further cause the contact communication deviceto edit the one or more second categories associated with the contact.9. The method of claim 3 further including: determining, by the referrerdevice, that the contact and the referrer have mutually agreed to beassociated within a web-based social network; and transmitting the atleast the portion of the information to the contact communication devicein response to the determining that the contact and the referrer havemutually agreed to be associated within the web-based social network.10. The method of claim 3 further comprising withholding, by thereferrer device, the contact data from the information source.
 11. Themethod of claim 3, wherein: the referrer and the contact are members ofa web-based social network; and transmitting, by the referrer device,the at least the portion of the information to the contact communicationdevice via the web-based social network.
 12. The method of claim 3,wherein the one or more first categories describe contact behaviors. 13.The method of claim 3 further comprising: accessing, by the referrerdevice, the contact data from a contact database; and directing, by thereferrer device, a second device to send the at least the portion of theinformation to the contact communication device.
 14. A referrer deviceassociated with a referrer, comprising: one or more processors; anetwork communication interface; and one or more memory storage devicesconfigured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one ofthe one or more processors, cause the referrer device to performoperations to detect, in response to user input entered into thereferrer device, an electronic request to provide information from aninformation source connected to a communications network to a contactcommunication device of a first contact; receive from the informationsource, via the network communication interface of the referrer device,one or more information categories associated with the information;automatically determine that the information is matched to the firstcontact based on electronically evaluating first contact data specifyingone or more first contact categories associated with the first contactagainst the one or more information categories, wherein the firstcontact data is accessible by the referrer device, and wherein the firstcontact data is not accessible by the information source; encode areferral container file with programming instructions configured to,upon execution by a processor of the contact communication device, causethe contact communication device to electronically request theinformation from the information source without providing the firstcontact data to the information source; embed the referral containerfile in an electronic message; and transmit, via the networkcommunications interface, the electronic message to the contactcommunication device.
 15. The referrer device of claim 14, wherein theinstructions to cause the referrer device to perform the operations totransmit the information to the contact communication device includesinstructions which, when executed at least one of the one or moreprocessors, cause the referrer device to perform operations to transmitthe information via a web-based social network to which the referrer andthe first contact are members.
 16. The referrer device of claim 14,wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to storeinstructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or moreprocessors, cause the referrer device to further perform operations to:access the first contact data from a contact database; and direct aserver associated with the information source to send the information tothe contact communication device.
 17. The referrer device of claim 14,wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to storeinstructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or moreprocessors, cause the referrer device to further perform operations to:determine whether the first contact and the referrer have mutuallyagreed to be associated within a web-based social network; and transmitthe electronic message to the contact communication device based onwhether the first contact and the referrer have mutually agreed to beassociated within the web-based social network.
 18. The referrer deviceof claim 14, wherein the one or more memory storage devices areconfigured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one ofthe one or more processors, cause the referrer device to further performoperations to: access the referral container file from a website,wherein the referral container file includes a selectable link; andtransmit the information to the contact communication device in responseto a selection of the selectable link.
 19. The referrer device of claim18, wherein the programming instructions are further configured to causethe contact communication device to prevent forwarding of the referralcontainer file until the contact communication device evaluates the oneor more information categories against one or more second contactcategories from second contact data accessible to the contactcommunication device, wherein the second contact data is associated witha second contact associated with the first contact.
 20. The referrerdevice of claim 18, wherein the one or more memory storage devices areconfigured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one ofthe one or more processors, cause the referrer device to further performoperations to: encode into the referral container file a referralidentification that identifies the referrer to the contact communicationdevice, wherein the programming instructions cause the contactcommunication device to use the referral identification to notify theinformation source when the information is accessed by the contactcommunication device, wherein the information source is configured toprovide a reward to the referral device based on the referralidentification.
 21. The referrer device of claim 14, wherein theprogramming instructions are further configured to cause the contactcommunication device to request the information from an informationdatabase of the information source.
 22. The referrer device of claim 14,wherein the programming instructions are configured to cause the contactcommunication device to: detect that the information is not relevant tothe one or more first contact categories; and indicate, to at least oneof the referrer device and the information source, to restrictadditional electronic messages from being transmitted to the contactcommunication device.
 23. A system comprising: one or more processors; anetwork communication interface; and one or more memory storage devicesconfigured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one ofthe one or more processors, cause the at least one of the one or moreprocessors to perform operations to, generate a referral container fileto include first data related to promotional content, wherein thepromotional content is available from a server separate from a firstmobile device, determine first contact data for the first mobile deviceto which to send the referral container file, encode the referralcontainer file with a first set of programming instructions, wherein thefirst set of programming instructions are configured to cause the firstmobile device to, after receipt of the referral container file,automatically compare the first data to second data accessible to thefirst mobile device, wherein the second data is related to a contactentity associated with a second mobile device, cause the first mobiledevice to automatically determine, based on the comparison of the firstdata to the second data, that the promotional content is applicable tothe contact entity, cause the first mobile device to automaticallyaccess contact data for the contact entity, wherein the contact data isaccessible by the first mobile device, and wherein the contact data isnot accessible by the server, cause the first mobile device toautomatically provide the referral container file to a second mobiledevice using the contact data wherein the second mobile device isseparate from the first mobile device and from the server, and encodethe referral container file with a second set of programminginstructions configured to cause the second mobile device to, afterreceipt of the referral container file, automatically request thepromotional content from the server without providing the contact datato the server.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the secondprogramming instructions are further configured to prevent the secondmobile device from providing the referral container file to a thirdmobile device.
 25. The system of claim 23, wherein the first dataspecifies a category of a recipient to which the promotional contentshould be provided, wherein the second data specifies a category of thecontact entity, and wherein the first set of programming instructionsare further configured to: cause the first mobile device toautomatically determine that the category of the recipient correspondsto the category of the contact entity; and cause the first mobile deviceto automatically provide the referral container file to the secondmobile device based on determining that the category of the recipientcorresponds to the category of the contact entity.
 26. The system ofclaim 23, wherein the first set of programming instructions are furtherconfigured to cause the first mobile device to automatically request thesecond data from the second mobile device.
 27. The system of claim 23,wherein the second set of programming instructions cause the secondmobile device to automatically install an application that providesfeatures to one or more of edit the second data, view the promotionalcontent, or make purchases related to the promotional content.
 28. Thesystem of claim 23, wherein the first set of programming instructionsare configured to cause the first mobile device to automatically launcha computer program installed on the first mobile device, wherein thecomputer program is configured to one or more of automatically comparethe first data to the second data, automatically determine that thepromotional content is applicable to the contact entity, automaticallyaccess the contact data for the contact entity, and automaticallyprovide the referral container file to the second mobile device usingthe contact data.
 29. The system of claim 23, wherein the first set ofprogramming instructions are further configured to cause the firstmobile device to include the referral container file in a text message,and send the text message to the first mobile device, wherein the textmessage is configured to be automatically forwarded, with the referralcontainer file, to the second mobile device.
 30. The system of claim 23,wherein the first set of programming instructions are further configuredto cause the first mobile device to include a referrer identifierassociated with the first mobile device in the referral container file,wherein the second set of programming instructions are furtherconfigured to report to the server the referrer identity in response todetecting that the second mobile device accesses the promotionalcontent, and wherein the one or more memory storage devices areconfigured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one ofthe one or more processors, cause the at least one of the one or moreprocessors to perform operations to automatically provide an electronicreward to the first mobile device using the referrer identity inresponse to detecting that the second mobile device accessed thepromotional content.
 31. The system of claim 23, wherein the second setof programming instructions are further configured to cause the secondmobile device to automatically report to the server one or more actionsperformed by the second mobile device pertinent to the promotionalcontent.
 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the second set ofprogramming instructions are further configured to cause the secondmobile device to automatically report to the server one or more ofwhether the second mobile device activates a link in the promotionalcontent, whether the second mobile device changes the second data, orwhether the second mobile device makes a purchase specified in thepromotional content.
 33. The system of claim 31, wherein the second setof programming instructions are further configured to cause the secondmobile device to automatically report to the server whether the secondmobile device attends an event advertised in the promotional contentbased on location tracking data of the second mobile device.